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Kessel tallies in shootout as Bruins rally past Capitals

Mar 16, 2007 - 3:40 AM BOSTON (Ticker) -- When the Boston Bruins needed a victory in the worst way, they turned to shootout hero Phil Kessel.

Rookie Kessel tallied on the third attempt in the shootout as the Bruins rallied to post a 4-3 victory over the struggling Washington Capitals, which lost its ninth straight game.

Marco Sturm and Patrice Bergeron each had a goal and an assist and Brandon Bochenski also scored for Boston, which trailed, 3-0, late in the second period due to a three-goal effort by Washington captain Chris Clark.

"The win was huge," Bergeron said. "We we were all aware that we needed the two points. That comeback in the third period was awesome."

"Considering the situation, it doesn't get any better than this," Bruins coach Dave Lewis added. "Down 3-0 and finding a way to win the hockey game, albeit in a shootout, was great. We certainly needed the two points."

The hat trick by Clark was the second of his career, with his first coming vs. Florida on March 18, 2006.

"Things were going well for us," Clark said. "We had a 3-0 lead. This is a tough pill to swallow."

In the shootout, Bergeron scored on the Bruins' second attempt, wristing a shot between the pads of goaltender Olaf Kolzig.

After Alex Ovechkin tallied on the Capitals' third attempt in the bonus format, Kessel won the game when he deked Kolzig and slapped a forehand shot past the glove of the netminder for his fourth game-winning shootout tally of the season.

"Kessel's like (Mariano) Rivera from the (New York) Yankees," said Bruins center Marc Savard, comparing him to the ace reliever. "We put him in there late and it's a 90 percent chance he's going to get us a win."

With 12 games left in its season, Boston (34-31-5) moves within five points of the New York Islanders (34-26-10) and the Carolina Hurricanes (35-29-8) for a final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

"We need to win every game," Savard added. "we know that. We got the win even if it wasn't pretty, but now we move on."

Tim Thomas stopped 31 shots for Boston, which swept Washington for the first time since 1993-94.

Kolzig, in his first appearance after missing a month with a knee injury, made 36 saves for the Capitals, who are on their longest losing streak since dropping 13 in a row from October 11 to November 11, 1981.

"It's very frustrating because we've got to find a way to win these kind of hockey games," Kolzig said. "It's a fine line and if we want to take that next step next year, we've got to find a way to put these games away."